SECTIONS 8300-8303 - California Statutes

EDUCATION CODE

SECTION 8300-8303

8300. (a) The Early Learning Quality Improvement System Advisory
Committee is hereby established in the state government. The advisory
committee shall consist of 13 members as follows:
(1) The Superintendent of Public Instruction or his or her
designee.
(2) The Secretary for Education or his or her designee.
(3) The President pro Tempore of the Senate or his or her
designee.
(4) The Speaker of the Assembly or his or her designee.
(5) The Director of Finance or his or her designee.
(6) The Director of Social Services or his or her designee.
(7) The Governor shall appoint two representatives.
(8) The Chairperson of the California Children and Families
Commission or his or her designee.
(9) The Senate Committee on Rules shall appoint two
representatives from the early care and education community, one who
is a program administrator of a child development program funded by
the department, and another who is a caregiver for infants and
toddlers.
(10) The Speaker of the Assembly shall appoint two
representatives, one from the early care and education community who
has experience with English learners, and one who is a local
educational agency teacher who teaches kindergarten.
(b) The Superintendent and the Secretary for Education or their
designees shall be cochairpersons of the committee.
(c) The advisory committee shall seek input through the
establishment of subcommittees or other methods from persons with
expertise in the following areas: early learning quality improvement
systems in use nationwide; early care and education, including
representatives from the higher education segments, the Commission on
Teacher Credentialing, and administrators, caregivers, and teachers
from both the public and private sectors; K-12 public school
teachers; English language development, including primary and
secondary language acquisition; education and care of children with
exceptional needs and disabilities; infant and toddler care; consumer
education; parent and guardian engagement; workforce development;
facilities development; technical assistance; and program
accreditation.

8301. (a) The advisory committee shall develop the policy and
implementation plan for an Early Learning Quality Improvement System
for the state and shall submit, to the Legislature and the Governor,
an interim report by December 31, 2009, and a final report by
December 31, 2010, containing its recommendations for the creation of
an Early Learning Quality Improvement System. The report shall
address, but need not be limited to, the following four elements of a
quality improvement system:
(1) An assessment and analysis of the existing early care and
education infrastructure, including other state and local early
learning quality improvement systems. The assessment shall identify
and review existing quality rating systems in use and determine the
features of those systems that are most effective in determining and
improving quality.
(2) The development of an early learning quality rating scale for
child development and care programs, including preschool, that serve
children from birth to five years of age, inclusive, including
preschool age children, infants, and toddlers. The early learning
quality rating scale shall reflect features of quality rating systems
that most directly contribute to high-quality care, as identified in
the assessment pursuant to paragraph (1). The advisory committee
shall consider consumer awareness so that parents receive accurate
information about the type of program in which their children are
enrolled. The advisory committee also may consider, but need not be
limited to, the following features of high-quality programs:
(A) Developmentally, linguistically, and culturally appropriate
practices.
(B) Staff qualifications and professional development and
education needs.
(C) Staff compensation and retention.
(D) Group size and ratios.
(E) Learning environment.
(F) Statutory and regulatory compliance, including provisions of
Title 5 and Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations relating
to child care and development.
(G) Articulation within systems of care for children from birth to
five years of age, and with the K-12 public school system.
(H) The inclusion of children with exceptional needs and children
with disabilities.
(I) English learner support.
(J) Family involvement.
(K) Comprehensive health and development screenings using standard
tools.
(L) Data collection and methods to support continuous quality
improvement.
(M) Program management and leadership.
(3) The development of a funding model aligned with the quality
rating scale for child care and development programs that serve
children from birth to five years of age, inclusive, including
preschool.
(4) The advisory committee shall consider and make recommendations
on how local, state, federal, and private resources, including
resources available pursuant to the California Children and Families
Act of 1998 (Division 108 (commencing with Section 130100) of the
Health and Safety Code), can best be utilized to complement a
statewide funding model as part of a comprehensive effort to improve
the child care and development system of the state, including
preschool.
(b) The advisory committee shall meet no less frequently than each
quarter per year, at the call of the chairperson, at a time and
location convenient to the public, as the chairperson deems
appropriate. All meetings shall be open to the public in accordance
with Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1
of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code. Once a draft report
of the final report is complete, the advisory committee shall
conduct no less than four public hearings in different parts of the
state to ensure that the advisory committee obtains meaningful public
input prior to submitting its report to the Governor and the
Legislature.

8302. No General Fund expenditures shall be required to fund the
work of the advisory committee. The advisory committee shall be
established only after the Superintendent applies to and obtains
funds from the California Children and Families Commission or other
sources. The Superintendent shall apply to the California Children
and Families Commission for funding to cover committee costs,
including, but not limited to, staff support and travel expenses.

8303. This article shall become inoperative on July 1, 2011, and,
as of January 1, 2012, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute,
that becomes operative on or before January 1, 2012, deletes or
extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.